


See Appendix for Further Information

by CubbieGirl1723



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Appendectomy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Season/Series 03 Fix-It, fix it jesus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 09:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15883434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CubbieGirl1723/pseuds/CubbieGirl1723
Summary: ap·pen·dixəˈpendiksnoun1.ANATOMYa tube-shaped sac attached to and opening into the lower end of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals.2.a section or table of additional matter at the end of a book or document.





	See Appendix for Further Information

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much, HipposRule16, for your awesome suggestions and patience with my misuse of commas...and ellipses. Without her, this story would still be languishing, unfinished, on my computer. 
> 
> Thanks also to CheshireCatStrut for the image of Logan in frayed jeans and a tight t-shirt. I couldn't get it out of my head (and why would I want to?) so it made an appearance here.

Mac was just about to demolish him in Mario Kart when her phone rang. She fumbled the controls and before she could pause the game, Logan (as Princess Peach, thank you very much) zipped across the finish line in front of Yoshi. 

“No mercy, Mackenzie,” he gloated. 

She stuck her tongue out at him as she checked her caller ID. Her goofy expression slid off her face, replaced with a look of confusion. “I should take this…” She gestured to the patio doors and stepped outside onto the lower level of the deck. He nodded and started another game of Mario Kart. 

Mac must not have closed the French doors all the way because her conversion began floating in to him. 

“In the hospital? Is she okay?”

His ears perked up. 

“Are you going to fly out there?” Mac paused to listen to whatever her caller was saying. 

“Yeah, okay. Thanks for letting me know, Mr. Mars. Please keep me posted.”

As the door clicked shut behind Mac, Logan focused on his seventy inch TV and realized that he had lost the race. 

“Everything okay?” He asked, going for nonchalant. 

She hesitated and then nodded. 

He had enjoyed getting to know Mac better last semester through their business class project and it had been fun to have another friend to hang out with this summer, especially since things were always strictly platonic with her. But they had established an unspoken rule that they would never discuss Veronica. 

“Is there anything you need to tell me?” He asked carefully. “About...anyone?”

“Um.” She didn't meet his eyes. “I should probably be going. If I beat you too much, you won't invite me anymore.” 

Mac smiled awkwardly and Logan let her get away with the subject change. 

“Yeah, okay. And if...never mind. I'll see you ‘round.”

“See ya.”

\-----

It was only when the basement media room was too dark to see anymore that Logan realized he'd been pacing since Mac left, hours ago. 

His stomach growled and he headed upstairs to the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. 

He grabbed a bag of chips out of the pantry, unthinking, and resumed his pacing in the kitchen. After popping open a Corona, he realized he couldn't stand it anymore. He fished his phone out of the pocket of his frayed jeans and scrolled through his contacts until he found Mac's number. 

“Logan,” she answered, and he couldn't figure out what to say. 

She sighed. 

“Veronica's in the hospital in Virginia. I don't know what happened. Her dad called me and said he'd let me know but I haven't heard back from him. I mean, he's probably busy, traveling, and--”

He cut off her nervous rambling. “Thanks, Mac,” and hung up before they could break their rules any further. 

\-----

Logan stared at the ceiling above his very comfortable king-sized bed. It was 3 o’clock in the morning, but he was no closer to sleep than he had been at 3 in the afternoon. He had called Mac, but really, he didn't know any more than he had when she'd left this afternoon and the things his mind kept coming up with were almost worse. 

He kept picturing Veronica lying in a hospital bed, beaten or shot, fighting for her life. She had told him that he was out of her like forever... and they hadn't spoken since he beat up Gory Sorokin for her in the Hearst cafeteria. What if she really was out of his life forever? What if…

He leapt up out of his bed and began pacing again to quell his anxious thoughts. It was 3 am. Probably a bad time to make decisions...but he couldn't stop formulating a mental plan. 

Veronica was in a hospital somewhere in Virginia, but how many hospitals were there in the DC area? How would he even begin to find her?

He huffed out a laugh as he realized that in order to find Veronica Mars, he had to take a page out of her book and think like her. And he knew just what to do. 

With new resolve, he slid open his phone. 

“Hey, Mac. Yeah, I know, I figured you'd be up. I need you to track someone for me. No, not Veronica.”

\-----

Logan shouldered his backpack as the hospital elevator dinged onto fourth floor. Thank God for cute receptionists that he could manipulate with his not inconsiderable charms. The doors opened and he stepped out, suddenly hit with a wave of anxiety as the smell of hospitals always made him slightly nauseous. He fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket as he took a few calming breaths. 

He had learned from his front desk ‘friend’ that Veronica wasn't in Intensive Care, which was a good sign. That was all he knew, though, besides a room number. The corridor was deserted as he snuck down the hall to room 4027. He was tempted to turn around and fly back to California, but he eased the door open instead. 

Veronica was asleep in the hospital bed. She looked small and pale with an iv tube running into the top of her left hand. She wasn't surrounded by beeping heart monitors and there were no visible bandages wrapped around her head, so that helped loosen the tight band that had been lodged around his ribs for the last twenty-four hours. 

He shifted closer to her bed, not paying attention to the large tray table next to her. He bumped into it and knocked over the assorted contents with a loud clatter. He grimaced and swore softly. 

Veronica's eyes fluttered open. “Logan?” She glanced around. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was hoarse with sleep and confusion. 

He shifted his weight between his feet. “Um, I...are you okay?” His brain had stopped working. The only thing he could think, over and over again, was “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” 

She nodded. 

“Okay, I'm gonna just…” He pointed at the door and backed away. 

“Wait. Don't go.” Her eyes were wide and she was struggling to sit up in the bed, pain visible on her features. 

“Hey, hey,” Logan rushed forward. “Don't hurt yourself.” He put out his hands to stop her from moving further. 

She fell back on her pillows, exhausted from the effort, and Logan noticed how the purple shadows under her eyes stood out starkly in her pale face. 

“You sure you're okay?” He asked again, concern lacing his voice. 

Veronica nodded with her eyes closed but held out her hand to him. He took it and squeezed. 

“What happened?”

“My appendix.” Her voice was still raspy. “It burst and then they did surgery to remove it so I'm stuck here,” she waved around at the hospital room with her free hand, “for a few days.” 

Logan started to giggle. It wasn't funny, he knew this, but once he started, he couldn't stop laughing. All the horrible scenarios he had been picturing... and her appendix had burst. 

Veronica opened her eyes and stared at him strangely. His laughter was obviously an inappropriate response but he didn't seem to be able to control himself anymore. 

“I'm sorry,” he gasped out between bouts of laughter. “I thought...I thought it was something serious.”

“Hey now.” She was fighting to keep her mouth from turning up at the corners. “This is not funny! A ruptured appendix can be very serious!”

“But,” he managed to say around giggles, “you're going to be okay.”

“Yes. I'm getting lots of antibiotics and I'm going to be fine.” Veronica's face softened as she spoke. 

Logan took a deep breath and smiled at her, still squeezing her hand. 

“I'm ridiculous,” he confessed. “I thought you'd been shot or something.” He ducked his head so he didn't have to meet her eyes. 

“Yep. That is utterly ridiculous.” She nodded solemnly at him and he gave her a bashful grin. 

“Wait a minute, how did you even know I was in the hospital?” Logan was so relieved that she was okay, he actually was excited to hear her typical suspicious tone as she questioned him. 

“I maybe...eavesdropped and...overheard a phone call I wasn't supposed to.”

“Mac.” It wasn't a question. 

“She didn't tell me anything, I swear,” Logan was quick to defend their mutual friend. 

Veronica glared at him. 

“Okay, it was her that I overheard,” he admitted, “but she didn't say anything. Although, she's probably worried about you.”

The door to the hospital room opened and Logan dropped Veronica's hand at the sight of her father. 

“Logan!” Keith stopped in his tracks. “I, uh, didn't know…”

“Mr. Mars,” Logan replied evenly. He wasn't sure he even knew how to convey respect to an adult anymore and Keith had made him ridiculously nervous since he was twelve, but he was resolved to get past it. 

“Dad, will you go see if you can find me some red jello? And some water?” Veronica asked. 

“Sure, honey, anything you need.” Keith turned around and headed back out the door. 

“You're tired; I should go.” Logan moved to leave, but Veronica grabbed his sleeve and tugged. “Please don't go yet.”

“Okay.” Logan nodded and sat back down next to her. 

“I'm sorry that I caused you to worry.”

“No, it's just, it's stupid. I feel stupid.” He shook his head ruefully. “As usual, I come running in and you don't really need me--”

She cut him off. “Maybe not. But maybe I...like having you around?” 

Logan was startled speechless. Would it be out of line to ask if she was on drugs?

“Could you...could you come back tomorrow?” She was hesitant. “Hang out with me? I mean, it's fine if you need to go, obviously--”

He cut her off. “Yes, of course.” He stood up and kissed her forehead. “Enjoy your jello and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow.”

\-----

Logan tried not to let the plastic bag rattle as he quietly made his way to Veronica's hospital room the next day. He had stopped at a drug store to buy her some entertainment--paperback mysteries, nail polish, a deck of cards, and a bag of Dove dark chocolates. 

He noiselessly pushed open the door to her room, but stopped when he caught sight of her. 

“Veronica?” He whispered, rushing to her side. “Veronica, are you okay?”

She didn't look okay; her face looked flushed and sweaty. Her eyes snapped open, but they were glassy and unfocused. He reached out and laid his hand across her forehead, because that's what moms on TV always did, and her skin felt unnaturally hot. Logan didn't have a lot of medical knowledge, but he knew they were trying to fight infection and a fever seemed like a bad sign. 

He pushed the call button by her bed for the nurse. 

After a few agonizing minutes (that seemed like weeks, but in reality was probably under thirty seconds) a brunette nurse with a short pixie cut and Mickey Mouse scrubs came bustling in the room. 

“What seems to be the problem?” She was kind and businesslike. 

“My friend,” Logan gestured at Veronica, “I think she has a fever? I was worried and…”

“You did the right thing,” she reassured him. “How about you step outside while I check her over?”

Logan nodded and dropped his plastic shopping bag on one of the chairs in Veronica's room. He headed to the hallway where he flipped open his phone to call Keith. It went straight to voicemail. 

“Mr. Mars, it's Logan. I'm at the hospital and I'm a little worried about Veronica. I'll be here, but I think you should come, too.” 

He didn't know how long he had been pacing the hallway in front of Veronica's room when Keith came rushing up to him. 

“Logan, what's wrong?” Keith was out of breath and deep worry lines were etched around his mouth. 

“I don't know. I think Veronica has a fever. One of the nurses is in with her now.”

Keith slumped against the wall. “I tell ya, these kind of ‘come quick, your daughter is in the hospital in Virginia’ phone calls will take years off your life.” He sighed, but then looked at Logan suspiciously. 

“I didn't actually hear yesterday...how did you learn about this? And how did you know where to find her?” 

Logan was familiar with the Mars habit of distracting from emotional trauma by solving a mystery. Still, he sighed, sad and yet resigned that he was so often the one providing the distraction. 

“Uh, I heard about it? Through the grapevine, I guess,” he evaded. Thankfully Logan had years of practice when it came to dodging an interrogating Mars. Although his tactic of making out with Veronica would obviously not work on her dad. 

“But how did you find her?” Persistence definitely ran in the Mars family. 

“Um, I followed you.” Logan ducked his head sheepishly. 

Keith's eyes were wide with surprise. “That's actually...impressive.”

Logan was saved from the rest of Keith’s questions because at that moment, the kind nurse opened the door and stepped into the hallway. 

“Mr. Mars?” She shot a quizzical look at Keith and he nodded. “Unfortunately, Veronica is having some issues with infection at her surgical site. That can be one of the complications with a burst appendix. The bad news is that she may have to stay in the hospital longer and it might lengthen her recovery time, too. But the good news is that this young man,” she smiled brightly at Logan, “helped us catch it quickly and we’re already giving her antibiotic treatments.”

Logan ducked his head. He knew he didn't really do anything; Keith or the next person to walk in the room would have obviously seen Veronica's distress. Still, the nurse’s praise, in front of Mr. Mars, no less, made him feel good. 

“She’ll probably be in and out of sleep all day,” he caught the nurse saying as she turned to go. 

“Thank you, Logan.” He could tell that Keith was trying to be comfortable with this experience of gratitude for Logan, so he just shrugged it off. 

“I'm gonna go sit with her awhile.” Keith hooked his thumb in the direction of Veronica's room. “I'll, uh--”

Logan cut him off before he could be dismissed entirely. “I'll come back later. You can go grab some dinner. Or better yet, I could bring you something?” He offered. 

“That would be nice.” Keith Mars clapped him on the back and headed into Veronica's room, The heavy door closing the conversation for the time being 

\-----

Instead of moping around his hotel in the afternoon, Logan took the opportunity to explore D.C. a little bit. He didn't realize how large the National Mall area was, but he enjoyed visiting the Korean War Memorial, the World War II Memorial fountains, and seeing the Washington Monument. (Compensating much, George?) He spent most of his time trying not to think about Veronica and failing rather miserably. 

Veronica had asked him to stay out of her life and he really had tried. He hadn't contacted her all summer and while he knew he couldn't say that he had moved on, he had done a decent job of putting her out of his mind. 

Until he thought that she was in danger...he couldn't keep away. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she hadn't kicked him out andthat she hadn't wanted him to leave. She had asked him to come back later. His mind couldn't stop mulling over the significance of those words. 

After checking the time, he found an Italian restaurant with a take out option and then took a cab to the hospital. He didn't know what Veronica was allowed to eat, but he ordered plenty, knowing how she felt about lasagna and breadsticks. And tiramisu, for good measure. 

He braced himself before entering her hospital room, not sure now what he would find. 

But all was calm this time. Veronica was sleeping and Keith was reading one of the mystery novels that Logan had picked up this morning. He looked up from his book at the sound of the door opening and met Logan's eyes. 

“Logan, hey, thanks for dinner.” 

Logan nodded politely, “Mr. Mars,” and set the white bag, parts of it already translucent with grease, on the table next to him. 

“How's Veronica?” he asked. 

“I think she's better,” Keith shrugged, “although I don't know. She slept most of the day and had weird fever dreams. Sleep is good for healing, so I can’t complain.”

“Well, I got extra in case she wakes up...but if she doesn't it's all yours.” Logan gave a small half-smile and hesitated between the table and the door, not sure if he was welcome to stay or not. 

“Sounds great. It smells delicious. Do you think you could find a baseball game on this TV?” Keith began unpacking the Italian food, taking out two plates, assuming Logan was joining him for dinner. 

“Uh, sure.” Logan fumbled with the remote. “Might have to be the Nationals, though.”

“Not my first choice, of course, but it’ll do.”

\------

Logan was surprised a few hours later when a nurse came in and encouraged them to leave for the night. He couldn't believe that the time had gone so quickly and that he wasn't uncomfortable with Keith Mars. They had mostly stuck to discussing sports, but still. It was a marked improvement. 

Veronica had woken up a few times but it was obvious that she really wasn't coherent enough to know what was going on. The nurses assured them, though, that she was not in any immediate danger from the infection. Antibiotics, apparently, were rather magical. 

Keith pressed a quick kiss to Veronica's forehead as he and Logan slipped quietly out of her hospital room. She didn't wake. 

“Logan,” Keith spoke softly, “would you want to take the second shift tomorrow and give me a break for a bit in the afternoon?”

Logan was momentarily speechless. Keith Mars was trusting him with his precious (albeit heavily medicated and monitored) daughter. After being the shock wore off, he nodded vigorously. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Want me to bring you lunch?” 

“That sounds perfect. See you tomorrow, son.”

Son. And Logan was rendered speechless again. 

\------

Logan showed up to the hospital at noon the following day, armed with some card games, more paperbacks, a book of crosswords and sudoku puzzles, and cheeseburgers. 

He and Keith enjoyed another meal together and Veronica's dad left soon after they had finished eating, claiming he needed a nap. He promised to return later in the evening. 

Logan was in the middle of a level: difficult sudoku puzzle (in pen, because he lived on the edge) when Veronica's eyes fluttered open. 

“Hi,” she croaked at him, her voice rusty from disuse. 

“Hi to you, too.” He leapt out of his chair. “Can I get you some water?” She nodded and he ran to fill her large hospital-issued insulated water jug. 

He couldn't help running his hand over her forehead when he returned and placed the mug in her hands. 

“Your fever seems to be getting better,” he commented, as an excuse to cover touching her. “You're not as hot as you were before.” 

She nodded and took another sip through the straw. Then she gestured feebly down her body, clad in a mint green hospital gown and a sheet. “I'll be sure to work on the hotness factor for you.” 

It was lame, as far as jokes went, but Logan was glad she was feeling well enough to attempt even a bad joke. He smiled at her and placed her water back on her bedside table. 

“Good, because usually when I spend days with a lady in bed,” he waved his hand to encompass her and raised his eyebrows, “it's under far different circumstances.” He gave a fake shiver. “I'll probably be scarred for life.”

“Duly noted.” Veronica's eyelids fluttered shut again. 

Logan kissed her forehead tenderly and murmured, “Go back to sleep.”

She nodded without opening her eyes and after texting Mac a quick update on Veronica's condition, he settled back in with his puzzle, content knowing that she was doing better. 

\------

Veronica woke up a few more times on her own, and was also woken up by the nurses a few times, as well. He and Keith spent another evening together and their days fell into a bit of a routine. He would read to Veronica or they would play gin. They took short walks up and down the hallway to build her stamina, with Veronica always trying to do more than she was allowed. He painted her toenails a vibrant purple color and promised her that she could paint his nails later if she was nice to the nurses. 

Everything was going well until the doctor on call came in to discuss her release. 

“Miss Mars, your appendix ruptured and your incision site was infected.” The poor doctor was exasperated after encountering Veronica's stubbornness already. “You can't expect to walk much yet, let alone return to an FBI internship.”

Logan could tell by the familiar set to Veronica's mouth that she was about to unleash all her pent up frustrations on this doctor and tell him exactly what she did expect. He waved his (unpainted) fingernails at her from across the room as a reminder of their deal. Thankfully, her father intervened. 

“Veronica, you only have a few weeks left of your internship. At this point, it would be wise to withdraw and get yourself ready for classes in the fall.”

He could tell from her facial expression that she didn't like this, but recognized the truth of the statements. Veronica continued to pout in silence, so her dad continued. 

“I think the biggest issue is getting you out of here and going home.” Keith smiled grandly like this would convince her. “You know, sunny Southern California? Where we live? And work?”

Veronica muttered something unintelligible and Logan figured it was best if they didn't know what she was saying. 

“Yes,” the doctor began, “let's talk about her care at home. You're cleared to fly,” he turned to Veronica, “but you will undoubtedly need assistance. Not too many stairs,” at this Keith's face fell, “no lifting, no exercise besides walking. No baths, only showers. No swimming, either. Unfortunately your incision is longer than we like and so it will take longer to heal. That, plus the rupture and infection mean you need to take it easy.”

Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and opened her mouth but before she could speak, Logan cut her off. 

“So a place with no stairs, full time assistance, and long walks on the beach...would be good?” He batted his eyelashes at Veronica. Her mouth snapped closed and she glared at him mulishly. 

“Um, yes. I suppose so.” The doctor seemed startled by Logan's question. 

“I've got just the thing.” He couldn't help the wink he threw at the doctor. 

\-----

“Logan, coach would have been fine,” Keith protested again as they settled in to the first class section of the plane. 

Logan shrugged and tried to be humble. Keith and Veronica were next to each other in the row in front of him. “I know, Mr. Mars. It was just a tiny upgrade. I didn't want Veronica to get jostled. This way we can help get her off the plane first.”

Veronica grumbled something about not needing any help, but Logan put on his ridiculously expensive headphones and, with a cocky smirk in her direction, chose to ignore her. 

\-----

“So I was thinking you could take the cab back to your place, drop off Veronica's luggage, grab what you guys will need, and drive back over in a little bit?” Logan asked Keith as the cab from the airport pulled into his driveway. “Oh, bring Backup, too.” He grabbed his backpack and hopped out of the car. 

“Are you sure you don't mind having us here?” Keith asked for what felt like the millionth time, peering out the window. Veronica merely raised an eyebrow at Logan's house. Although she no longer looked pissed...just curious. 

Logan spread his arms. “This is perfect. I have no stairs, easy beach access for Veronica to go on walks, room for everyone, and nothing to do with my time. Come on, let me show you around.” He headed for the front door, hoping they would follow. 

Veronica and Keith had a wordless argument that consisted mostly of eyebrow raises. Finally, Logan heard her hiss “I'm not letting you try to carry me anywhere!” Then the car door slammed and the cab drove off. 

Logan turned as he was unlocking his front door. “Do you need help?” 

Veronica, wearing comfortable black yoga pants and one of his oversized zip-up hoodies, looked uncomfortable loitering in his driveway. Her carry-on backpack was by her feet. 

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?” He rushed over to see if she needed his assistance to get into the house, but she brushed him off. He didn't like how much walking she had done through the airport, but he might as well have been arguing with a brick wall when he tried to convince her to slow down. 

“I'm slow, but I'm not broken, Logan,” she bristled at him. 

Logan remembered Mrs Navarro saying something once when he was sick in his younger days that grumpiness was a sign that he was starting to feel better. He hoped this was also true of his current patient. Although Veronica's permanent state of grumpiness would make it hard to tell. 

Veronica huffed and grabbed her bag off the ground, mostly, he thought, to prove that she could, and glanced around at the front of his house. The siding was a blue-grey color with white brick accents. There was a small porch and a three car garage visible from where they stood. 

Logan hadn't enjoyed house hunting, exactly, but he had come to find that he did enjoy his house a great deal. It was at the back of a private neighborhood, which meant it was nicely secluded. It was a sprawling ranch, not overly ostentatious, and he could step out his back door onto the beach, so it met his most important criteria. He was both oddly proud of it and vastly nervous to hear Veronica's opinion. 

To cover his anxiety, he turned back to the front door and opened it. “Are you coming?”

Veronica nodded and stepped inside. The door opened into a small foyer area. The house had an open floor plan and from the front door they could look to the right and see into the kitchen and to the left down the hallway to the bedrooms. Straight ahead was the living room and Logan was inordinately pleased when her mouth opened into a small O when she caught sight of the wall of windows that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. 

“Logan,” she breathed. “It's incredible.”

He looked down, bashful. He didn't feel like he could take credit; all he had done was buy the house, after all. 

Logan had been slow to furnish his house. He didn't want to buy things just to fill the place; he wanted to make sure that he actually liked the things that he was living with. His living room contained a large black leather sectional couch, an ottoman, a modest flat screen TV mounted over the fireplace mantle, and an oversized cream armchair. The walls were painted a soothing pale grey and Logan had hung a few printed photos that he had liked. 

Veronica dropped her bag and started toward the windows. She rested her fingers lightly against the glass and gazed out on the upper level of Logan's deck and out at the ocean. 

“That view...I can see why you picked this place,” she commented. 

“Yeah, it's pretty perfect.” Logan shrugged and tried to hide his pleasure at her compliment. 

“Uh, over there,” he pointed at the open staircase descending to the lower level, “is the basement. The media room is down there. I'll show you some other time, when you're ready for the stairs.”

“There's an office past the kitchen,” he waved at the eastern half of the house, “and the bedrooms are that way.” He indicated the other half of the house. 

“Would you like to lie down in your room or maybe sit and watch TV? Are you hungry? Or thirsty?” Logan was concerned that Veronica was still pushing herself too hard. 

“TV sounds good.” Veronica sank onto his very comfortable couch, trying not to let him know how much she enjoyed it. “And some water would be great, too.”

Logan knew she would never admit that she was worn out but he was glad she was at least willing to sit and let him wait on her. He quickly grabbed a bottle of water from the stainless steel refrigerator in the kitchen and handed it to her, snagging the TV remote along the way. 

“Do you have a favorite movie to watch when you're sick?” She asked him as he settled next to her (a respectable cushion away) on the couch. 

“Promise you won't make fun of me?” Logan glanced at her from under his eyelashes. 

She held out her pinky finger for him to link with his. “Promise.”

“Goonies,” he confessed. 

Veronica smirked. 

“I know it's kind of terrible,” Logan went on in a rush, “but I always wanted to have an adventure like that when I was a kid. And I love that Cindi Lauper song. What about you?”

“The Princess Bride.” Veronica shrugged. “It has everything you could want in a movie.”

“Fencing, fighting, revenge?” He quoted to her. 

“Exactly.”

“Well, you happen to be in luck. Just give me a second.” He jumped up off the couch and disappeared down the basement steps, returning a few minutes later brandishing The Princess Bride DVD in his hand. 

“Farm Boy, fetch me that movie?” Veronica quipped at him as he set up the film. 

“As you wish,” he winked at her and sat down on the couch with his arm across the back, close enough to be friendly but not (he hoped) so close that she would feel awkward. 

After a few minutes into the movie, (Buttercup was riding in the woods) Veronica's head lolled on the back of the sofa. Logan reached out and began massaging her scalp with his strong fingers. Her hair was so soft and silky and he realized it had been far too long since he had gotten any action when she murmured, “Mmm, that feels amazing.” The timbre and breathiness of her compliment shot straight to his groin. She closed her eyes and let him run his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep. 

Logan was dozing lightly, too, when the doorbell rang. 

Glancing at the TV, he saw that Wesley and Buttercup survived the Fire Swamp. He let it continue to play as he showed Keith into his house. 

“Mr. Mars, come on in. Veronica's just resting.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the couch. Veronica's head was now slumped down awkwardly on her chest and Logan had covered her with a blanket. She must really have been tired because the doorbell hadn't woken her. 

“Can I get you anything? Coke or water?” Logan offered. 

“Water would be great, thanks.”

When Logan returned from the kitchen and handed him a bottle of water, Keith was lovingly watching his daughter sleep. “She loves this movie,” he said, pointing at the TV. “Must have watched it a thousand times when she was little.”

“Yeah, she mentioned that. Wanna join me on the deck?” Logan gestured at his impressive wall of windows. 

“Great view. ” Keith nodded his thanks for the water and followed Logan outside. 

Furnishing the house may have been an ongoing process, but outfitting the patio had been easy. Logan's upper deck was complete with an outdoor kitchen, canopy, patio table, adirondack chairs and fire pit. The lower level of the deck off the basement patio contained a hot tub and an outdoor shower. He loved how close he was to the ocean. 

“Are you sure about this, Logan?” Keith asked. “I don't want to invade your privacy, or take advantage of your hospitality.”

Logan sighed. He had thought convincing Keith that Veronica should stay with him had been difficult while they were in Virginia, but this was excruciating. 

“Mr. Mars, I understand if you're not comfortable with Veronica here with me, but it's not like that. I'm not even sure if we're friends and I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”

Keith took a deep breath. “You flew out to Virginia, took care of her in the hospital, upgraded her to First Class, and moved her into your house. I'd say you're the best friend she's got right now, Logan, and I'm grateful--”

Logan could hear the ‘but’ coming in this (actually nice) little speech so he cut Keith off before he got to that part. 

“I was serious about you staying here, too, you know.” He was earnest. 

“I…” Keith trailed off, obviously at a lack for words. “Okay, I guess. We could try it tonight. If you're sure?”

He really wanted Veronica's dad on his side, but he realized he just couldn't pull off the ‘earnest suck-up’ role. It would be better to play to his strengths. He took a deep breath. 

“Remember how you said you didn't want to take advantage of my hospitality?” He fixed Keith with a pointed look until he nodded. 

“Well, if you ask if I'm sure about this one more time, my hospitality will be officially offended.”

Thankfully this tactic seemed more effective and Keith laughed and held out his hand for Logan to shake. “Okay.”

\-----

It wasn't long before Veronica stumbled out onto the deck, clutching her stomach. “Feed me,” she moaned dramatically. 

Keith's eyes were wide as he chastised her. “People with abdominal incisions should not joke about such things.” 

“Sorry,” Veronica muttered, abashed. “I'm seriously starving, though. And the doctor said that I could start eating real food as long as I took it easy…” She batted her eyelashes at Logan. 

He sighed, knowing that he would say yes to whatever she asked. “What would you like?”

“Something soothing. Italian food.”

“Are you sure you're ready for that?” He asked. 

“Hey, that's my line!” Keith joked while Veronica looked on, confused. 

Logan laughed, too, and thought that maybe this wasn't actually his worst idea. 

\-----

After dinner, Logan got Keith set up in the media room watching the Padres-Rockies game. 

“Do you want to take a short walk?” He asked Veronica, waving in the direction of the beach and the setting sun. 

She stared suspiciously at the beach down below through the wall of windows. “You said there were no stairs. You're not carrying me!”

He shrugged. “There's a path that goes down and around from the front. And I was thinking piggy-back, anyway.” He paused, faux-thoughtful. “Or fireman’s carry.” 

Veronica chuckled. “Thank you for preserving my dignity. I'd love to get out and take a walk.”

He led her out the front of his house and down a path that led around to a small descent to the beach. 

Logan made sure that they walked slowly and didn't go too far, factoring in the distance back and what would be an incline up to the house on their return trip. Veronica subtly tried to speed up the pace and convince him to walk farther. He hoped that her stubbornness would help and not hinder her recovery efforts. 

While they walked he asked Veronica about her time at the FBI and the genuine joy on her face when she talked about it lit him up inside. He didn't know what would happen between them but he knew in that moment that he wanted to do whatever he could to make Veronica that happy always. 

“So, how's the freezer in this place?” Veronica asked as they made their way back inside. 

“What?”

“How's your freezer? Full of ice cream?” She looked hopeful. 

“Oh, um, I'm not sure. We can check. And if not, I can run to the store.” He smiled softly at her, knowing that he had asked his housekeeper to stock up on both mint chip and cookie dough. But it wouldn't do to let Veronica know he had done that for her. 

“Whaddaya know.” He peered in the freezer and grabbed bowls and spoons out of the cabinets. “It must be your lucky day.”

“Must be,” Veronica echoed, around a mouthful of ice cream. She swallowed. “Speaking of that...thanks for letting me stay here. And my dad, too. And Backup.”

“Yeah, where is the sweetest member of the Mars family?”

Veronica made a face at him. “At Cliff’s. My dad said he'd pick him up tomorrow.”

Logan grabbed his bowl and sat down on the couch. “TV? Movie? Board game?” He offered. “Scratch that, I'm not sure I have any board games yet. So it would have to be cards.”

Veronica sat next to him. “Actually, I was thinking about that deal you made me.” She smiled wickedly and waggled her fingernails at him. 

“Do you have any nail polish?” He asked innocently. 

Her eyes narrowed. “You conveniently forgot to pack that beautiful purple color?” 

“You'd be surprised the things you can't bring on a plane these days.” He nodded sagely. 

“Hmm. I should stick with the FBI for the flight clearance alone. Don't think I'll forget about it, though, Echolls.” 

She stood up from the couch. “I'm thinking pajamas and then perhaps another movie?”

“Sounds great. Here, I'll show you where all the rooms are and then you can decide what to watch.”

Veronica followed him out of the living room and down the hallway to the bedroom side of his house. 

Logan's two guest bedrooms, one on each side of the hall, were modestly furnished and he hoped she wouldn't catch on to the fact that it was a pretty recent endeavor--another call to his housekeeper yesterday and the furniture had magically been procured and appeared overnight. He loved being rich. 

While the rooms weren't ostentatious, his housekeeper had picked out modern bedroom sets and sumptuous linens, making both rooms comfortable and welcoming. He made a mental note to tip her generously for her extra work. One bedroom was blue with a subtle beachy feel and the other was a soothing green. Veronica claimed the blue room and flopped down on the bed. 

“Ouch,” she complained, and rubbed her hand across her abdomen. “Next time remind me to climb into bed carefully.”

Logan raised his eyebrows and tried not to think about Veronica and a bed. 

Thankfully she didn't seem to notice his sudden awkwardness. “Seriously, Logan, this bed is so comfortable!” She was still stretched out in the middle of it, running her hands over the softness of the duvet. 

He cleared his throat and looked away. “Good. Glad you like it.”

He suddenly wasn't sure how to show her his bedroom without being creepy. 

“So where's your room?” she inquired, sitting up gingerly this time. 

“Oh, its over here at the end of the hall.” He guessed it wasn't creepy if she asked. He hooked his thumb out the doorway and walked the rest of the way down the hall, pointing out the large guest bathroom as he went. 

He opened the door to his bedroom with a dramatic flourish and Veronica whistled. 

“Very nice! It suits you, Logan. I love the color. It somehow manages to not feel like a cave in here.” She spun around the room slowly, taking it all in. 

He smiled bashfully, ridiculously glad that she liked it. He knew it was a bold choice to paint his master bedroom a dark navy blue but the soaring ceiling, wall of windows, and white molding offset the dark color and it worked. The room was large, large enough that his California king bed fit and there was still plenty of space for a long dresser with a tv on top and a small sitting area with two chairs and a table. The chairs, if he was being honest, usually just had clothes flung on them but he liked the idea anyway. 

After his house burned down, he didn't have a lot of possessions to be sentimental about, but there were a few pictures in silver frames on display in this room. When Veronica had broken up with him three summers ago, he had swept all his pictures and mementos off his desk and thrown them into a garbage bag, intending to dispose of them later. In reality the trash bag had lived in the back of his car for months, inadvertently sparing it from destruction. He had never been so thankful for his tendency to procrastinate. 

Veronica's fingers skimmed lightly over a picture of her and Duncan, Logan, and Lilly on the beach. Her eyes turned wistful, the expression she always got when he knew she was thinking of Lilly. 

“It took me awhile before...before I was able to see pictures from…” He didn't have the words to finish his sentence. He just waved at the framed photograph, but he could tell Veronica knew what he meant. “But,” he cleared his throat, “It's been easier lately.” 

She nodded and gave him a small smile. It was nice to have someone in his life who truly understood. 

“Um, pajamas?” He reminded her. “And then you can pick the next movie.”

“Oh, yeah. I'll just go get changed.” She headed for the direction of the door. “And I know it will destroy my street cred forever but... I'm thinking Disney.” She winked at him over her shoulder. 

“You never had any street cred with me!” He yelled at her retreating figure. Which was entirely not true, but best not to let her know. 

\-----

They settled on The Incredibles because, it was Disney, but still respectable as a superhero movie. 

Logan wasn't sure, but he thought Veronica might be sitting a smidgen closer to him on the couch than she was earlier. Which was probably not a big deal, but it was going in the ‘win’ column nonetheless. 

He grabbed Veronica a chenille throw blanket and it wasn't long before she was, once again, asleep on the couch. He figured between the physical exertion and time change he could cut her some slack. He debated about letting her sleep on the couch, but then he remembered her excitement over the guest bedroom so he carefully picked her up and carried her into the serene blue room. 

“Hey, I thought I made strict rules about carrying me, Echolls,” she muttered into his chest as he opened the door. 

“Maybe you haven't heard about me and rules? I live to break ‘em,” he smirked as he laid her gently on the plush bed. 

“Mmm,” she groaned and grabbed his hand, never opening her eyes. “Stay.”

Logan froze. “Veronica, I don't--”

She cut him off. “Do that thing where you play with my hair until I fall asleep.”

He gulped and sat down next to her on the bed. “Yeah, okay.”

Since she would be back asleep in approximately four minutes, he figured there was no harm in acquiescing to her request. 

He stayed on top of the duvet while she crawled under the covers and snuggled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. He was no longer worried that he hadn't left enough space between them on the couch earlier, at least. He sighed and began gently running his fingers through her hair. 

Once Veronica had fallen asleep, (and in only two minutes) he knew he should get up and leave. Keith Mars was just one flight of stairs below them, for crying out loud. However, she was soft and warm, cuddled against him for the first time in months. What harm could come from five more minutes?

\-----

Logan woke up later, a crick in his neck, because he heard water running in the guest bathroom down the hall. Oh, crap. He scrambled off Veronica's bed (not bothering her in the least) and ran to intercept Keith. 

“Mr. Mars! How was the game?”

Keith glared at him so he had to assume that he saw them together in bed. Crap, crap, crap. 

“Padres lost.” He was curt. 

“Oh. Is there anything I can get you?” 

Keith shook his head no. Logan gulped and plunged on, trying to smooth things over with hospitality. 

“Veronica picked this room,” he gestured at the closed door behind him, “so you can have the green one.” He pointed across the hall. “Here's the bathroom, and my room’s at the end of the hall.”

“Where you will be sleeping. All night.” It was not a question. 

“Yes. Of course.” Logan nodded vigorously. “Let me know if you need anything. If not, I'll see you in the morning.” He turned to flee to his room. 

“Logan…” At the sound, He stopped and spun around to face Keith, who sighed. “Is it okay if I head to the office tomorrow? I'm swamped with work. Can you handle things,” he waved his arm to encompass Veronica and all that she entailed, “around here?”

“Sure, Mr. Mars.” He breathed a sigh of relief. 

After he closed the door to his room, he flopped onto the large bed and resigned himself to staring at the ceiling and thinking of Veronica for several hours. He knew it was pathetic; he just couldn't bring himself to care enough to stop. 

\------

Logan stumbled out of his room, shirtless, the next morning to his blessed coffee machine, a purchase he had wasted zero time debating after moving in. It was honestly one of his prized possessions. 

He took his first sip (nectar of the gods) and spun around, face to face with Veronica. Her eyes were wide as she stood in the entryway to the kitchen and he realized belatedly that low-slung grey jersey pants and no shirt was possibly not the best breakfast ensemble when he had houseguests. Honestly, in his morning quest for coffee he had forgotten everything else. 

Veronica was clad in cotton pajama pants with dogs on them and an oversized grey Hearst t-shirt. She sat primly on one of the stools at his kitchen counter and stared at her hands folded in front of her. 

“Morning,” she offered. 

“Yeah.” Logan's voice was still gravely with sleep. “Coffee?” He offered. 

She nodded. 

They coexisted in silence while the miracle machine made her cup. He added cream and sugar, just the way she liked, and kept his eyes fixed on her small hands wrapped around the mug. 

He took another fortifying sip. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Good. Way better, actually.” She gave a small laugh. “It's amazing what not sleeping in a hospital will do for you.”

“Glad to hear it,” he murmured. “So.” He cleared his throat as the hot beverage helped him wake up. “What would you like to do today?”

“Is my dad…” she trailed off, looking around, and then caught sight of a note on the other side of the counter. Logan slid it to her so she could read it. 

“Ah. He was a bit behind on work,” she explained as she read, “so he says he will try to see us for dinner.” She made a face. “Coming to see me in Virginia probably set him back a ton.”

She looked down at the granite countertop and he could tell that she was feeling guilty. 

“Veronica.” He reached across the counter between them and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. “It wasn't your fault. And it wasn't like he'd leave you in the hospital across the country by yourself. The best thing you can do is heal up so that he won't worry anymore.”

She nodded like she was trying to convince herself to believe him. “Thanks for letting me stay here. There's no way he'd leave me on my own if I were at home so…” She trailed off. 

After a moment she cleared her throat and went back to his question from earlier. “How about we run to my apartment so I can pick up some things and then see if Mac is free later? I'd love to see her.”

“Yes to Mac, obviously, but have you forgotten no stairs?”

Veronica sighed in frustration. “This is so dumb,” she growled. 

“Yes, I've heard that abdominal incisions are particularly low on the intelligence scale.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “You know what I mean.”

“Is there anything I could run and get for you?” He offered. 

“No, it's just, I'm not sure where all my stuff even is. You and my dad packed up the stuff from my room in DC and... I just want my favorite sweatshirt and stuff like that. I know it's dumb…”

“It's not dumb. We’ll see what we can do. I know I promised not to touch your underwear when we were packing,” he wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively,” but we definitely grabbed everything so I'm sure we can find whatever you want.”

“Oh,” Logan continued, “I have another idea, too. How about you call Cliff and see if we can get Backup today, too?”

Veronica perked up at this suggestion. “You won't mind having him here?”

“Nah, he's great. And he’ll help me out.”

Veronica raised her eyebrows, questioningly. 

“Now that I have a house I've been wondering about getting a dog. This way I can have a trial run.”

“A house, a dog. You've practically turned into an upstanding citizen,” Veronica teased. 

Logan playfully winced. “That's just mean.”

“Next thing you know, you’ll be going to class and doing your homework!”

“Never!” He was faux shocked. 

“Did you decide on a major for the fall?”

He sobered a bit, suddenly worried about her approval. “Yeah, actually.” He took another sip of coffee and met her gaze. “I'm thinking English.”

A slow smile spread across her face and warmth bloomed in his chest. “Logan, that's perfect. You'd actually make a really great writer, you know.”

He ducked his head. “I dunno. But it's not the worst choice and I think I can at least make it to those classes.”

“I thought for sure you'd choose business and hate it and drop out,” she confessed. “I'm proud of you.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. 

“You sticking with criminology?” He asked as he tried not to think about how much he wanted to caress her fingers with his own. 

She shrugged. “Probably. My time with the FBI...well, it was both mind-numbingly boring and ridiculously exciting at different times. I'm not entirely sure it's what I want...but it makes sense for me. So I think I'll stick with it for now.”

“What about psychology? Or pre-law? I've always thought those would work for you, too,” he suggested. It was a novel experience, having a conversation with Veronica where they were being honest about their strengths and weaknesses and no one was yelling. 

She took another sip of coffee. “I guess it kinda depends on who takes over the department. If I really hate the new guy, well, that answers my question.”

Logan nodded. “I always thought history would be fun, too. Maybe I'll add a minor.”

“Oh, sexy,” she teased and he raised an eyebrow. “Those sports coats with elbow patches? Hot.”

“Smart is the new sexy, Mars.”

“Maybe you could get reading glasses, too!” Her fake perky tone made him chuckle. 

“One could only hope.”

He finished his coffee and set the mug down on the counter firmly. “I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed. And then we can run some errands?”

“And miss the most important meal of the day?” Veronica was dramatically aghast. “I think not!”

“Okay, I ‘spose I can feed you first.” He turned to the refrigerator and pulled out bacon and a carton of eggs. 

Veronica nodded her approval. 

\-----

After showering and dressing for the day, Veronica in a pair of black yoga pants because of her incision and a hot pink tank top and Logan in frayed jeans and a snug faded green t-shirt advertising Guinness, they grabbed what they needed and headed out. She didn't actually like Guinness, but Logan's very fine advertisement of the beverage made her mouth water. Although as she considered it, maybe that had more to do with the advertising package than the product itself. Marketing at its finest. 

After buckling into the Range Rover, Veronica slid her phone closed and tossed it into her messenger bag and updated Logan. 

“Cliff said we could meet him over his lunch break to get Backup. And Mac's coming over this afternoon.”

“Sounds great. We’ll swing by your place first, I'll run in really quickly, and then visit Cliff.”

They rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way to her dad's apartment, although Logan did allow her to fiddle with the radio. She remembered times in the past when he would yell at Duncan or Lilly for touching the dials, but he'd always let her get away with it. It might be a new vehicle, but being with Logan still felt the same. 

\-----

Logan pulled up to the Sunset Cliffs apartments and parked his car. 

“Gimme your keys.” He held out his hand expectantly. “And let me know what I'm looking for. I'll be in and out.”

“That's what they all say.” Veronica couldn't resist the sexual quip and appreciated the eye roll she got in return. 

Logan cleared his throat and wiggled his fingers impatiently. “Keys.”

“Well, here's what I was thinking…” Veronica drew out. “I'm coming inside, too.”

“Nuh-uh. No stairs, remember?”

“Logan, there are some personal things that I need and...yeah, I'm not staying in the car.” With that she hopped out and he had no choice but to follow. 

“Look, we used to date, how embarrassing can it be?”

She ignored that and continued walking. 

“Veronica, don't think I won't call your dad,” he threatened as she approached the staircase. 

She sighed dramatically and turned around. “I'll go really slowly, I promise.”

“Nope. Your dad would never trust me again.”

“I think you're more concerned with what he thinks of you than what I think!” She raised a challenging brow but, frustratingly, Logan just shrugged. 

Ugh. She hated it when he refused to take the bait and get in an argument with her. She gave an eye roll and another huffy sigh to properly vent her frustrations. 

He walked over to her. “Look, I’d offer to give you a piggyback ride up the stairs but I'm actually worried that would pull your stitches more than you just walking. So you either let me carry you or nothing.” 

She wanted to stomp her foot, but that seemed childish. She settled for growling “Fine,” through clenched teeth and wrapping her arms around Logan's neck. 

He picked her up easily. As long as she didn't make eye contact with him or think about his arm around her back, his large hand splayed around her waist, and his biceps and forearms flexing, then it was fine. She stared resolutely at the ribbed collar of his green t-shirt until he set her down. 

She knew she should thank him, but she was tired of feeling like she owed him for all this. And she felt like crap. So she tossed her hair instead. 

“Stay here.” She pointed at the couch in her living room. 

“Um, did you mistake me for your dog?” Logan called, mock offended. 

Veronica popped her head back around to look at him. “Hmm...you both have brown eyes, like to be petted, drool in your sleep...yeah, I think your house already has a dog.”

“If you weren't convalescing, I'd tackle you right now.”

Veronica hurried back towards her room. The pull of her stitches let her know that she was moving entirely too fast but she had to get out of there before she made the mistake of letting him know just how much she wanted to be tackled by him.

\-----

“Ah, children, come in.” The dulcet tones of Cliff McCormack greeted them as they entered his storefront office. The wallpaper was peeling, the plastic chairs looked ancient and uncomfortable, the magazines on an end table were out of date, and one of the houseplants was dead. It was exactly what Logan had expected Cliff’s office to look like. 

The lawyer stood up from the receptionist’s desk and made his way over to them. 

“How was the FBI, V? Stay out of trouble?”

“It was good, until my stupid appendix turned on me.” She made a wry face. 

“Too bad.” He turned to Logan. “And here's trouble personified! The next time you're arrested, please don't call me.”

“But you're my favorite,” Logan whined at him. Irritating Cliff was one of his favorite pastimes. Well, maybe not top ten but now that he was trying to stay on the straight and narrow, he had definitely had to change his definition of fun. 

“Do you have my dog?” Veronica demanded. 

“He's in my office. He wasn't the biggest fan of my last client,” Cliff explained, shrugging. “He's an excellent judge of character.”

Veronica opened the door and greeted Backup, rubbing his ears enthusiastically and muttering “Yes, he is,” over and over again in a baby talk voice. 

Logan rolled his eyes, but it was actually kind of adorable. He had been worried that the pit bull might charge Veronica and knock her over in his excitement, but the dog merely licked her nose and wagged his hind quarters exuberantly. Eventually he wandered over to Logan, who held out his knuckles for a sniff. He and Cliff both passed the inspection, thankfully, while Veronica gathered his leash and dishes. 

“Thanks for watching him for us, Cliff,” she said with a wave as they turned to go. 

“Oh, don't worry, V. Now you owe me a favor. I'll be sure to collect.” His deep voice was smug. 

“And you,” he added, pointing at Logan, “you can repay me by forgetting you ever knew my name.”

“But just the other day I saw it advertised on,” he turned to Veronica, “what do you call those long vehicles for poor people?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, right, a bus.” He winked at Cliff and listened to the bell that tinkled behind them as the office door closed. 

“Let's go see what Backup thinks of my house.”

\-----

Backup definitely approved of Logan's beach access. Veronica sat and rested in a deck chair (although she'd never admit it) while Logan and Backup played with a tennis ball. There was something soothing about watching them. 

She really felt terrible and she knew she should go inside and lie down. She was just so tired of not being in control of her own body, of being dependent on others. Her abdomen throbbed as she struggled to stand up out of the deep chair. 

Logan must have seen her wince because he dropped the tennis ball and rushed over to her. 

“Are you okay?” His voice was anxious. 

She brushed his hands away. “I'm fine!” Her curt response came out harsher than she intended. 

“I'm just going to go inside for some solitude.” She tried to soften her words, but she could tell from his hurt puppy dog eyes that Logan's feelings had been wounded. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes dealing with his emotions was just too much for her. 

Her toe caught on a deck board as she was walking towards the French doors that led to the house and she stumbled. In a flash, Logan was there to grab her arm and tug her upright. 

“Ow!” She complained, grabbing her middle and shaking him off. “Get off! I'm fine!” Masking the pain, she stalked inside. 

\-----

Once she left, Logan pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

“Yeah, Mac, we’re going to have to reschedule.”

\-----

Hours later, Logan knocked softly on Veronica's bedroom door. 

After a few minutes he heard a muffled, “Come in.”

He stuck his head in the room. Veronica was on her bed, sleep-mused and disoriented. God, she looked unbearably sexy like that. He had to look away. 

“Um. I'm sorry to wake you, but you have a doctor's appointment soon.”

“What?” She was fully awake now, it seemed. “What are you talking about?”

“A follow-up appointment. Here in Neptune,” he explained. 

“I understand the concept. I just don't remember making one.”

He knew she wasn't going to like this, but figured head-on was the best way to approach the impending conflict. 

“I made it for you. Get ready to go.” With that, he closed the door. Cowardly, he knew. 

The door flew open momentarily anyway. “What? You made it for me?”

While he didn't love it when it was directed at him, there was a large part of him that thought that Veronica was hot when she was pissed off. Her hair was still messy, brushing her shoulders, her eyes were flashing and her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, ready for a fight. She was gorgeous. 

“What made you think you had any right to do that?” She was so mad she was practically sputtering. 

“Look, you obviously weren't okay earlier.” He shrugged. “You needed to start your follow up stuff anyway.”

“It's none of your business, Logan!”

He felt like she had punched him with that one. But it was imperative that she didn't know that. 

He pulled out his phone and pressed one of the speed dial buttons. 

“Hey, Mr. Mars, it's Logan.” He paused, listening. “Yeah, she's fine, just refusing to go to her doctor's appointment.”

Veronica's mouth dropped open. 

“Okay, here you go.” He handed her the phone and miraculously did not perish from her death glare. 

“Yes, Dad, but--” she paused. “No, Dad, I--” She gave a dramatic huffy sigh. “Fine, I'm going. But only so I can get well enough to move out of here!” She snapped his phone shut with a pop and shoved it at him, turning and disappearing into her bedroom. Thankfully, his house was well constructed so the foundation didn't actually shudder when she slammed the door, but he thought he should probably check the doorframe later. 

He knew Veronica would make his life hell for this but it was worth it if it was what she needed. 

\-----

Logan's imagination hadn't exaggerated how terrible this trip with Veronica was turning out to be.

She was ignoring him and yet letting him know at every turn that she was pissed at him--deep sighs, slammed doors, and fierce glares. 

He was currently sitting across the doctor's waiting room from her. She had stalked over to the hard plastic chair after frostily checking in with the nurse at the front desk and thrown herself down into it. Her arms were crossed angrily over her chest and her fiery gaze remained fixed on her shoes. 

Logan was pretending to read a magazine but as he glanced at it, he realized it may have been more believable if he had selected anything besides “Pregnancy and Newborn.”

“Veronica?” A tall, broad nurse with a deep voice called from the doorway. He had green scrubs, short, brown hair, and a smile with too many teeth when he noticed Veronica. 

“Right this way,” the nurse said. 

She perked up considerably as she made eye contact with Nurse Hunky Pants. She gave him a wide smile and Logan tried not to gag audibly. 

“Well? Are you coming?”

It took him a moment to realize that she was addressing him. After gaping at her stupidly while she tapped her toe in impatience, he threw down the magazine and jumped up, following them both through the maze of hallways to the exam room. 

“I'm Jordan,” the nurse introduced himself and shook Veronica's hand as they sat down. “I'm just going to get some basic information from you before the doctor comes in.”

Veronica smoothed her hair and grinned at Jordan. “Sounds great.” 

She sounded unnaturally perky and he hated it. She was at the doctor's office, for crying out loud. What did she have to be happy about?

“I'm just going to take your pulse,” Jordan was saying, but instead of using the stethoscope around his neck, or whatever kind of tool a medical professional should use for such a task, he held Veronica's wrist and placed two fingers against her pulse point. Surely that wasn't necessary?

“Strong!” Jordan raised his eyebrows at her and Veronica blushed like this was the greatest compliment she had ever been given. 

“Now I'm going to take your temperature.” Jordan waved an ear thermometer and Veronica actually giggled as she tilted her head to one side and brushed her hair off her neck. She giggled! Logan wanted to break Nurse Hunky Pants’ fingers when he put them on Veronica's neck. Could this guy be any less professional? 

“Oh, that's a little high.” Jordan used this as an excuse to move his hand to Veronica's forehead. “Do you feel hot?” He asked. 

“Am I hot? What do you think?” Veronica asked flirtingly. 

“She's probably hallucinating. This is definitely not normal behavior,” Logan interjected. He couldn't help himself. 

Veronica glared at him and Jordan jumped, startled, like he had forgotten Logan was even in the room. 

“Well, it's not a great sign,” he murmured. “I'm gonna have you hop up on this table,” Jordan gestured at the paper-covered exam table, “and we’ll look at your incision site.”

“Um, I think ‘hopping’ was part of her problem, Jordan.” Logan infused his name with as much scorn as he could muster, which was a considerable amount. He refrained from jumping up himself to help her because he knew that would be hovering, but he was content to see that she at least took it slowly. 

Jordan was properly chastised and muttered, “Yeah, of course.” His disgruntled tone shouldn't have brought Logan joy...but it did nonetheless. 

“Um, do you want to…” Jordan gestured at Logan as Veronica began to raise her shirt. 

“It's fine,” Veronica said airily, and her cavalier indifference was ten times worse than if she hadn't wanted him to stay in the room. 

Jordan raised his eyebrows in a “whatever,” expression. Logan clenched his fists and told himself repeatedly that he was not allowed to punch medical professionals. 

“Yeah, this just isn't healing like we would want,” Jordan commented as he examined Veronica's abdomen. “Obviously, you want the doctor to come look at it,” Logan huffed at that but, disappointingly, Jordan ignored him and continued, “but I think you need to do a better job of taking it easy.”

Veronica gazed into Jordan's eyes and nodded. Logan rolled his eyes and died inside a little. 

There was a rap on the door and the doctor entered. Jordan may have been his worst nightmare, but karma must have decided to throw him a bone when it came to the doctor. She was a small woman with short, grey hair and looked to be in her sixties. 

“What do we have here?” Her voice was a deep contralto and her eyes were sharp. 

Jordan popped up and guiltily offered her the stool he had been sitting on. She took it as if it were her throne. 

“This is Veronica,” Jordan gestured, “a week post-appendectomy…” he looked at her chart, “which happened in Virginia?”

She nodded and answered his unspoken question. “I was doing a summer internship with the FBI.” 

Jordan was rendered speechless but, bless her, the doctor was not. 

“I'm Dr. Jones. How is your recovery going?” She eyed Veronica's stomach and wheeled herself over to the exam table where she began to prod it gently with her fingers. 

Veronica hissed in pain. 

“That answers that,” Dr Jones said briskly. “Are you taking it easy?” She asked. 

“No,” Logan muttered before Veronica could answer the doctor. 

She turned her piercing eyes on him. “And who are you?”

“Her babysitter,” he answered promptly. He liked Dr. Jones, and not just because when he said her name in his head it made him think of Indiana Jones. Her straightforward manner was appealing. She also wasn't flirting with Veronica so that was a plus, too. 

His response must have been sufficient because she turned back to Veronica. “If you were interning with the FBI, I have to assume that you are driven and dedicated. It can be hard for individuals such as yourself to be inactive, but you need to make your recovery your new mission.” Dr. Jones paused to make sure Veronica was paying attention. “Because if you don't focus on your recovery now, it will be even longer before you get back up to speed. And no one wants that to happen.” She raised an eyebrow and Veronica, suitably chastised, nodded her consent. 

“Babysitter,” she snapped to Logan. “Do a better job.” Now it was his turn to look chagrined. “Do your best to help her rest. Take care of things for her when you can.” 

Logan tried to keep his face from showing his thoughts on that one--Veronica letting someone else take care of things? Hardly likely. 

“Ms. Mars, I will put you on bedrest if I need to,” Dr. Jones threatened. At Veronica's horrified look she added, “If you can just scale back your activity a bit, hopefully we won't have to resort to that.”

She graced them with a small smile and reminded Veronica to call the office if she needed anything before rising from her rolling stool and exiting the room. 

Veronica's prickly anger seemed to have faded as she realized the seriousness of her situation. 

Jordan promised to call in Veronica's prescription for more antibiotics and suggested Tylenol to help lower her fever. He also warned Veronica about taking care of her incision site and her stitches. 

“Here,” he pulled a business card out of his scrubs shirt pocket. “This has the office number on it and,” he scribbled on the back, “this is my personal line if you need anything after hours. I'd be happy to come over to your place and help if needed.”

Logan was fuming. He couldn't believe this tool had given Veronica his number, and under the guise of medical help, too. That had to go against the Hippocratic Oath or something. 

“It's not her place, it's mine,” he snapped. “And I think we’ll manage just fine.” He stood up and stalked out of the office, waiting in the hallway for Veronica. 

After they were belted into the car (in silence the entire time) Veronica handed him her new prescriptions and bent to retrieve her phone from her purse on the floor. She winced and sat up, saying quietly, “Hey, can I borrow your phone?”

Logan fished it out of his front pocket and handed it to her, not looking at her. 

She sighed and dialed. “Hey, Dad.” She sounded tired. “Yeah, just leaving now.” She paused. “Nope, gonna fill some prescriptions and then head home to rest.” 

Logan hated how much his heart soared when she referred to his place as ‘home.’ 

“Oh,” she was saying to her dad, surprised. “No, that's not a problem. No, I totally understand. Go get the bad guy. I'll be fine. I'm sure Logan won't let me lift a finger.” Her tone had turned disgruntled and she tossed him a glare. At least things were back on their normal footing. 

“Yeah, you can talk to him. Just a sec.” She put her hand over the phone to muffle it and turned to him. 

“My dad has to go out of town for a case. He wants to talk to you.” She handed him his phone back. 

He fumbled it as his palms became instantly sweaty. “Mr. Mars, hi.” He tried to sound unruffled. 

“Logan, thank you for taking Veronica to the doctor.” Keith's voice was steady through the line. 

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

“I trust that I can leave Veronica in your care for the next few days?” He asked. “Being out of town when she just got home and is recovering isn't my first choice, obviously, but it can't be helped.”

“It's no problem, Mr. Mars.”

“I appreciate that, I really do. Just remember that I'm TRUSTING YOU.” Keith emphasized the last words so strongly that Logan wondered if Veronica could hear her dad through the phone. Based on her smirk, the answer was yes. 

“Yes, sir. Message received.”

“Excellent. Thank you. You--you're doing an admirable job of earning that trust, son. Now give the phone back to Veronica so I can give her my ‘concerned dad’ spiel.”

Veronica continued to chat with her dad while Logan drove to a nearby drug store. 

“How about I just run in really quickly?” Logan offered as he put the car in park. “Need anything else?”

Veronica's eyes lit up with a terrifying gleam. “Grab my purse?”

He hesitantly reached for her messenger bag off the floorboards of the passenger seat and set it gently on her lap. She rummaged and came up with an old take out menu and a pen. After frantically scribbling, she handed him a list. 

“Thanks!” Her voice was entirely too happy, considering she was letting him do something for her. 

He hopped out of the car and scanned the list as understanding dawned. He sighed and figured he should get his punishment over with. Maybe she would let it go after this. 

\-----

“Here you go!” Twenty minutes later he opened the passenger door and sat two plastic bags down in her lap. 

“Do you need to check and make sure I got everything?” He asked, innocently. “Because I did. Every single embarrassing item. Oh, and the cashier had to call for a price check on the Summer’s Eve. Too bad you missed it.” He smirked. 

Maybe she hadn't thought when she gave him the list--consisting of tampons, douche, nail polish, eyeshadow, lip gloss, hair ties, extra small condoms, and hemorrhoid cream--that he would actually buy the items. But he had decided to go all in. 

“Are you going to mail the condoms to Piz? Because we can swing by the post office, too,” he offered, still faux innocent. 

“No, thank you,” she murmured primly. “Piz and I, well, we haven't talked since May. If you don't need them--”

“Extra small? You know I don't,” he interjected as a blush rose on her cheeks. He was beyond thrilled to learn that Piz was definitely out of the picture. 

“You can always give them to Dick,” she continued. 

That at least got a laugh out of him. 

“Hey, give me my lip gloss.” He held out his hand, palm up, and wiggled his fingers. 

“Excuse me?”

He leaned over and started searching the shopping bag. 

“Aha!” He held up a tube of light green Lip Smackers lip balm. “Watermelon is my favorite.” He proceeded to open the packaging, apply the chapstick, and (as suggested by the name) smack his lips together while appraising himself in the rear-view mirror. 

“Yum!”

Veronica just rolled her eyes. 

But as he backed out of the parking lot, her saw her surreptitiously retrieve the Dr Pepper lip balm from the bottom of the shopping bag and coat her lips with it. He couldn't help smirking at her. Chalk another one up in the ‘win’ column. 

\-----

Logan awoke to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was after midnight. 

He stumbled to the door and opened it. He was wearing athletic shorts slung low on his hips and no shirt. His hair was sticking up on one side of his head. 

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He asked anxiously. 

“I can't find the ice cream,” Veronica hissed. 

She had also changed into pajamas, tiny shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top. He figured that if he was still dreaming she'd be wearing lingerie so this must actually be happening. Even though it didn't make any sense. 

“What?” He rubbed his eyes sleepily. 

“Ice cream! I'm hungry and I can't find it.”

“You woke me up in the middle of the night for ice cream?” He asked, incredulous. 

“You've really turned into an old man if this is the middle of the night,” she quipped. “And yes.”

“You did sleep through dinner, I suppose.”

Veronica had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from the pharmacy. He had carried her in and laid her on her bed. He had wanted to let her rest as long as possible so he didn't wake her to eat. He had spent the evening playing video games and after walking Backup, had gone to bed early. 

“Exactly.”

Logan padded out to the kitchen. He peered into the bottom freezer drawer of his French-door style refrigerator but Veronica was right. There was a frozen pizza, some waffles, Icee popsicles, and a loaf of garlic bread but no cartons of ice cream. 

“Ah,” he said and headed to the garage. He returned momentarily with a half gallon of moose tracks. 

“Mrs. Sanchez must have put them in the deep freeze this time.” He nodded his head in the direction of the garage. 

“Oh. I didn't think to look there.”

He opened the cabinet to pull out bowls but thought better of it and closed the door. He grabbed two spoons and handed one to Veronica. They settled side by side on the stools at the counter. Backup lumbered over from his spot in the living room to see what they were up to and settled at Veronica's feet. 

“Who's Mrs. Sanchez, anyway?” She asked as he peeled the lid off the carton. 

“My housekeeper,” he shrugged around a mouthful of ice cream. “You didn't think I was actually doing household chores on my own, did you?” 

She laughed. “Well, you have been full of surprises.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know,” she waved her spoon around to illustrate her point, “buying a house, declaring a suitable major. Not imploding. You're practically a productive member of society.”

He gave a fake shudder. “How pedestrian.” 

“Seriously, though, Logan. I was worried about you for a while there, but you seem to be doing this adult thing really well.”

“You were worried, huh?” He could hear the bitterness is his own voice. “Funny way of showing it. You know, by cutting all ties with me.”

Veronica cringed. “I just thought…” she trailed off. 

“Face it, Veronica, if I hadn't panicked and come to see you in the hospital, you still wouldn't have called me.” 

She shook her head, but didn't deny it. Her eyes had filled with tears. “You're right, I wouldn't have. But,” she choked out, “I would have thought about you a lot. I know because,” her breath hitched again, “I thought about you all summer.” Her tears had spilled over, but Logan didn't try to comfort her. He merely listened to what she had to say. 

“I just thought, I thought I would ruin everything again like I did last spring.”

“What did you ruin in the spring?” He was genuinely curious. 

“I lost my dad the election, I put Mac and Wallace in danger, and I couldn't even deal with how I felt about you. I used Piz because he was convenient, he was there. I was a really terrible friend,” she confessed. 

“So you thought you'd punish yourself with exile?”

Veronica was silent for a long while before saying icily, “I didn't realize you continued attending your psych class.”

“It was interesting,” he shrugged. “Like that, for instance,” he pointed at her, “is classic deflection. But,” he stood up, put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, “I'm gonna let you get away with it because you've had a rough day.” 

He rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly and, still sitting on the stool, she leaned into him. 

“You didn't ruin anything,” he whispered into her hair. He didn't know if she actually heard him. 

“Are you done with your ice cream?” He finally asked after holding her in silence. 

She nodded against his chest. 

He took a deep breath and pulled away from her, stashing the ice cream carton in the freezer and tossing the spoons in the sink. 

“You should go back to bed. You need the rest,” he urged. 

Veronica held out her hands, silently asking for his help off the stool. He doubted that she really needed it, but it still made him feel nice that she was depending on him for something besides embarrassing personal hygiene products. 

He picked her up and set her on her feet. Their eyes met and he could feel that pull still between them. He dropped his hands off her waist and cleared his throat. 

“If you're not tired yet, though, we could watch TV for a while,” he offered. 

“That sounds nice.” Her voice was steady now, leaving behind all traces of the emotion that was there earlier. 

They turned on the TV (Conan because Logan hated both Letterman and Leno) and sat on the couch together. Veronica kept squirming, though, and finally his exasperation with her constant fidgeting got the better of him. 

“What is wrong with you?”

She winced. “I just can't get comfortable on the couch. I'm not tired enough to sleep, but I think I need to lay down in bed.” She sighed at the thought. 

“I have an idea.” Logan hopped up and held out his hand to help her off the couch. She took it and followed him into his room. 

“I didn't put TVs in the guest rooms but I do have one in here.” Logan waved at the TV on top of the long dresser opposite his bed. “And my bed is big enough that you can stretch out however you want.” 

He turned on the TV and then kissed her forehead with a muttered “night,” and started to leave the room. 

“Where are you going?” Her tone was surprised. 

“I'll go sleep on the couch. Or in the other guest room. This way you can watch TV and be comfy.” 

“Don't be stupid,” she scoffed at him. “I'm not kicking you out of your own bed. Stay here. Make fun of Conan with me.” 

The bed really was big enough that they both could have rolled around for days and not run into each other but somehow they both ended up in the middle. Veronica was leaning against Logan and he put his arm around her. 

“Are you comfortable now?” He asked. 

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“Any time.” And he tried to keep the innuendo out of his voice as he thought about how she was most definitely welcome in his bed any time. Even just to cuddle. 

He knew he should carry her into her own bed once she fell asleep. He was just playing with fire having her in his bed and he was pretty sure this was exactly what her dad had been talking about earlier. 

On the other hand,Veronica had made it clear that things were platonic between them and he promised himself that he would be a perfect gentleman. It would be fine. 

\-----

Veronica woke up to find herself wrapped around Logan. Her head was pillowed on his firm chest, their legs were intertwined, and she was half on top of him. 

The steady rise and fall of his chest underneath her cheek assured her that he was still asleep. She should get up and move to her own bed. It was one thing to let herself take advantage of Logan's hospitality but this really was a line she shouldn't cross. 

But he was warm and so very comfortable. As long as she didn't let herself get used to it, she supposed no harm could come from staying put. 

She closed her eyes and let the rhythm of his breathing sooth her back to sleep. 

\------

The next time Veronica stirred, her movements woke Logan as well. He tightened his arms around her and then kissed her head, letting her go. 

“Hi,” he said, his voice husky with sleep. 

“Good morning,” she rolled off his chest and smiled at him. 

“How did you sleep? How do you feel?” He asked. 

She stretched gingerly. “Mmm. Slept well. And I feel pretty good. I might need you to check my stitches today, though.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

If it was weird for two people who were ‘just friends’ to wake up wrapped around each other, it would be even weirder if they talked about it. So Logan followed Veronica's lead and didn't mention it. 

“I'm gonna go take off the bandage. I'll shower and then I'll have you look at things, okay?” 

“Yeah. I'll go make us some coffee.”

\-----

Logan was reclined on his bed, channel surfing and sipping his coffee, when Veronica appeared in his doorway, clad only in a hot pink bra and grey sweatpants. Her wet hair was tied back into a ponytail. 

He gulped, burning his mouth on the coffee. 

“Can you take a look at things?” She gestured at her stomach. 

Right. Her incision. Of course. That's why she was standing half naked in front of him. 

“Or I suppose I could call Jordan to make a house call,” she coyly teased him. 

“That won't be necessary,” he practically growled. “C’mere.” He gestured at the bed and she laid down so he could see her abdomen. 

Oh god. He was not going to think about anything remotely sexual while he was leaning over her body, looking at the smooth expanse of her skin, the waistband of her pants...he would think about her stitches, baseball, cold showers, and grandmas instead. 

“Um.” He had to clear his throat because his voice broke like a twelve-year old. “I think it looks better than yesterday. Not quite as red?” 

She nodded, staring up at the ceiling and not meeting his eyes. 

“Are these the kind of stitches that dissolve or do you have to go back so they can take them out?” He asked, trying to maintain a clinical tone. 

“They’ll dissolve.”

He hoped she hadn't noticed how ragged his breathing had become. All he wanted to do was run his nose along her soft skin, press kisses above the band of her sweatpants, pull them down and find that spot by her hip bone that drove her crazy when he licked it...but he didn't. He leaned back and tried to think of anything else instead. Stitches. Yeah, think about that. 

“That's good news. Did you take your antibiotics yesterday?” 

She scooched up on the bed so that she was reclining against the pillows instead of flat on her back and made a face. “No, I forgot.”

Logan sighed. “Dr. Jones would be disappointed with my babysitting abilities. Here's what we’re gonna do.” He reached across Veronica (oh god) and grabbed his phone. “I'll set some reminder alarms to help us remember.”

He handed her a mug of coffee. “I'm gonna go shower. I know it's hard for you to just hang out like this all day, so I have some things in mind that might make it better.”

“Oooh, like what?” Her eyes had lit up at the idea. 

“Uh-uh.” He shook his finger mockingly at her. “I'm going to let you be surprised.”

And with that he headed into the bathroom to take a very long, very cold shower. 

\-----

“So, what are my surprises?” Veronica was still waiting on his bed (although now she had a shirt on) when he emerged from the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his waist. 

“Unless you want a very big one, you better leave so I can get dressed!” He wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively. 

She giggled and slid off his bed. “Fine, but hurry up already.”

“Go take your medicine while you wait.”

“My medicine? Am I six? Is it bubble gum flavored?” She teased. 

“Yes. Go.” He shut the door behind her. The effects of his cold shower had already worn off.

\-----

“What are we going to do today? Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Veronica exclaimed when he sat down beside her at the kitchen counter. 

He had forgotten how much fun it was to try and surprise her. Her eyes were sparkling and she possessed an energy that she had been missing lately. 

“You, actually, are expecting company.” 

Her eyebrows went up. “I am?”

He nodded and checked the kitchen clock. “Yep. Should be here any minute.”

As if on cue, they heard a knock at the door. Logan raised an eyebrow smugly and disappeared to answer it. 

He returned with Dick and Mac in tow. 

“Mac!” Veronica rushed to hug her friend. “And...Dick.” She didn't seem nearly as excited about the second guest. 

Logan cut in before she could say something disparaging to Dick. 

“You and Mac can hang out and do girl things.” He waved his hands to encompass everything this entailed. “And Dick and I are surfing.” 

Dick threw his arm around Logan's shoulders and gave a wide grin. They left through the garage to grab their surf gear and head to the beach. He was hoping a little time with others would keep them from getting on each other's nerves. Or at least no more than usual. 

\----

Dick and Mac stayed for lunch and Logan was pleasantly surprised with the level of civility between Dick and Veronica. They would never be best friends, obviously, but he was proud of Veronica for not yelling at Dick. Much. 

After they left, he knew he needed to force Veronica to take it easy in the afternoon. He had just the idea. 

“Go take your medicine,” he said, “and I'll bring you a surprise.”

“A present? Is it a pony?” 

“No, it's not a pony.” He laughed at her antics. “I'll be right back.”

He retrieved something from his office but kept it behind his back. 

“Close your eyes,” he instructed as he walked into the living room. 

She complied and covered her eyes with her hands. When instructed, she opened them to see Logan holding a book. 

“A book?” She looked closer. “A kids book?” She sounded doubtful. 

“Not just any book. The seventh and final Harry Potter book!”

She continued to stare at him like this was not a big deal. 

“It just came out a few weeks ago!” He continued. 

“Logan,” she spoke slowly, “I haven't read any of the other ones. I can't start at the end! Plus reading doesn't really sound fun anyway.” He face reflected her disdain. 

“I thought you might say that. Be right back!” He bounded back off to the office. 

And returned carrying a stack of six more books. 

“All of them?” She was incredulous. “You own all the Harry Potter books? In hardback?”

“Of course,” he scoffed, sitting the books on the counter. “JK Rowling signed this one for me a few years back. It's my favorite.” He held up The Prisoner of Azkaban and opened the cover to reveal the author's signature. 

Veronica laughed. “How did I not know about this?”

He shrugged. “Reading’s not exactly cool. And Harry Potter doesn't fit my bad boy image. But I thought since you had embraced my new ‘productive member of society’ thing that I could admit to being a Potterhead.”

“Oh my gosh, there's a special name for groupies like you?” 

“I think ‘fangirl’ is preferred to ‘groupie’ these days,” he said loftily. “And anyway, I wasn't going to make you read them. I was going to read them to you.”

Her mouth actually dropped open in surprise. It was so adorable, Logan wanted to kiss her. But, of course, he didn't. Because they were just friends and he wouldn't think about kissing his friends. 

“Like, out loud?” She asked after a pause. 

He just nodded enthusiastically. 

“Just try it,” he said encouragingly. “You can lay on the couch or in bed and rest and just listen. If you don't like it after the first chapter, I won't mention it again. Or maybe it will put you to sleep. That's fine, too.” Of course he would mention it again, but she didn't need to know that. 

“Mm, okay. One chapter. In your bed.” She turned and marched to his room. 

He grabbed the first book off the stack and followed. She obviously didn't know how she was torturing him every time they were in his bed. Before this moment, reading Harry Potter to her wasn't even in the top ten list of ‘Things To Do To Veronica In Bed,’ but only because he hadn't considered it. Most of the things on that list involved her being naked, anyway. This was obviously purely platonic and innocent. 

\-----

Logan was stretched out across his bed with his head propped up on pillows, reading to Veronica. She was laying across his bed crosswise with her head on his stomach. It felt divine. If she had ever wondered if the physical attraction was still there between her and Logan...well, she had actually never questioned that. Attraction had never been their problem. 

While she wasn't sure she was willing to admit it yet, the book that he was reading wasn't too bad. High school and college consisted of so much required reading that she had forgotten that it could be a nice way to unwind. 

She shouldn't have been surprised to discover that Logan was great at reading books out loud. His inflections made it exciting to listen to and he even did different voices for various characters. He had always avoided acting, but his natural flair for drama was apparent and she had told him to continue reading when he had stopped at the end of the first and second chapter. 

She had known Logan since they were twelve, she had dated him twice, knew his body intimately, and thought she knew all his secrets, too. 

But staying at his house this week had been a revelation. (He owned a house now, for crying out loud!) He really was growing up, and she liked the person he was becoming. She had allowed him to take care of her--and while it would never come naturally to her, she hadn't actually died inside like she had expected. Maybe being dependent upon someone wasn't so bad if you picked the right person. 

He paused in his reading and she realized they must be at the end of a chapter. 

“Want me to read more?” He asked. 

“Mmm. Maybe later. I'm gonna take a little nap now.” She turned onto her side and made herself comfortable resting her head on Logan's stomach. God, he smelled good. She was facing him but she kept her eyes closed. She was worried they would give her away if he looked at her right now. 

She felt Logan slowly trace his fingers up and down her arm and in her hair. She sighed contentedly. She knew she shouldn't allow herself to be so close with him... but she really didn't want to stop. 

“How are you feeling? Everything okay?” He asked quietly. 

He obviously was asking about her physical recovery, but all she felt was turmoil. She pretended to be asleep to avoid answering. 

\-----

Logan continued to stroke Veronica's hair while she slept. Her head on his belly was exquisite torture. He knew he couldn't go on like this much longer, still in love with Veronica and letting her sleep in his bed, but stopping it sounded even worse. 

He had just fallen into a light doze when he felt Veronica's hands move along his abdomen. Oh god. Even on top of his t-shirt, her sensual touch sent fire through his veins. His eyes snapped open. 

“Veronica!” He whispered, grasping her hands in his own. “You can't do that!”

She muttered a string of nonsense words. Was she sleep groping him? 

Yep. Her eyes were definitely still closed. He let go of her hands and she moved, settling herself more firmly on top of him. Her head was pillowed on his chest, but now the rest of her was sprawled on top of him, as well. 

Her hips wiggled against him as she shifted in her sleep. She was trying to kill him. And she wasn't even awake. 

Baseball. Grandmas. Cold showers. Repeat. 

\-----

When Veronica woke up later, she seemed to have no idea she'd been so handsy in her sleep. She demanded a few more chapters of Harry Potter before dinner. 

After they finished eating (a frozen pizza, he would have to ask Mrs. Sanchez to come tomorrow and restock the fridge) she begged him for a short walk on the beach. 

“Logan, today has been great, but I start to go stir crazy staring at the same walls all day. I need fresh air!”

She did have a slightly crazy glint in her eye. He figured that a little walk couldn't hurt. 

“Okay. But go take your antibiotics first.”

He would have to spend some time in his basement gym tonight or tomorrow. He wasn't usually this sedentary and he needed to burn off some energy. Especially after being in bed with Veronica this afternoon. 

He made sure that their walk was slow and short, mostly just back and forth in front of his house. Backup and Veronica didn't seem to mind, though, and by the time they had gone inside, the manic look had disappeared from her face. 

“TV in bed?” She asked hopefully, nodding her head in the direction of his bedroom. 

Oh god. He couldn't handle that right now. 

“I have a better idea.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. “How about you call your dad back? He called earlier while you were napping. I'm gonna go work out.”

“Wait, you're going to the gym?” She looked slightly panicked at the thought. 

“Oh, I forgot that you haven't seen the basement yet. My masterpiece of a man cave has a workout room.”

She visibly relaxed. “Can you really call your basement a man cave when you have the whole house to yourself?” she pondered. 

“That's the man cave. The rest is my swinging bachelor pad.” He wagged his eyebrows at her. “Now go call your dad before he freaks out.”

\-----

Logan changed into athletic shorts and a t-shirt. He pushed himself hard, both on the treadmill and with his free weights. He was hoping if he was exhausted enough he would be able to suppress his desire for Veronica. 

Not giving in to sexual temptation was a new experience for him, but he had come to realize that his tendency to sleep with ridiculously inappropriate people when heartbroken only caused more problems for him. He was determined not to fall back into destructive patterns. 

After Veronica had cut him out of her life and left, he fell apart for a while. He spent weeks drunk and stoned out of his mind. He was pretty sure he slept with a bunch of inappropriate women, but he hoped Veronica never asked him about it because he couldn't really remember. 

Finally Dick confronted him. Somehow the idea that things had gotten so bad that Dick--Dick Casablancas!--was concerned permeated his addled consciousness. He threw out the drugs and the booze. He stopped sleeping around. He decided to forgo room service and bought a house. 

And if he hadn't exactly gotten over Veronica...well, at least he hadn't left her all the desperate voicemails that he'd contemplated over the summer. Baby steps. 

Having her in his house was amazing. And terrible. He loved these moments of absolute normalcy when no one was being accused of murder and they could just hang out (like a couple, he admitted to himself) and watch late night TV together. 

But if he started to think about how empty things would feel next week when she wasn't here...or if he screwed up again and she exiled him from her life...well, he wasn't sure he could pick up the pieces a, what? Third, fourth, time? It was probably a bad sign if he couldn't actually remember how many times they had dated and broken up. 

For the sake of his own sanity, he needed to set some boundaries soon and keep her at arms length. 

\-----

He peeled off his sweaty shirt and headed upstairs. He cut through the living room to toss it straight in the washing machine (which he didn't really operate, but hey, he knew where it was located and that was a start.) 

Veronica stopped in the middle of the kitchen, spoon in hand, and stared at him. 

“Are you having ice cream without me?” He teased. 

A guilty look crossed her face. 

“At least grab a second spoon. How's your dad?” He asked as he sat down at the counter. 

She gulped and kept her distance. “Good. He's good. He says hi and that he should be home by the weekend.”

“Sorry, I probably stink.” He gestured at the still vacant stool next to him. “I'll just go grab a shower really fast and be right back. I totally understand if all the ice cream is gone by then.”

He winked at her and disappeared. 

\-----

Logan was driving her to distraction, walking around all sweaty and shirtless like that. Obviously she had seen him without his shirt on many times, but there were definitely muscles there that were new. There was no doubt she would have remembered all those sweaty abs. 

It was his house, she supposed, and he could walk around shirtless if he wanted. He probably walked around naked when no one else was here. 

Oh god. She needed to stop thinking about that. She had had a very R-rated dream about him this afternoon and suddenly her hormones were all over the place. It was a good thing he had gone to take a shower and put on some clothes. 

But now she was picturing Logan in the shower, naked, with hot water coursing down his body. 

Maybe some ice cream would help. She dug her spoon into the carton of moose tracks, but all she could think about was feeding it to Logan, watching it drip down his chest and licking it off. 

Definitely not working. She threw her spoon in the sink and went to bed. 

\------

He knocked on her door a few minutes later. “Veronica? Are you okay?” he called. 

“Fine!” She yelled through the door. “I'm just, uh, more tired than I realized. Good night!”

Well, that was abrupt. She hadn't even opened the door to speak to him.

He had just vowed to keep her at arms length. Why was he sad that he was sleeping alone tonight?

\-----

“Logan,” she hissed as she eased his door open hours later. “I can't sleep.”

He rolled over, but didn't wake. She figured that his bed was plenty big enough and she had slept here before. He wouldn't mind. She crawled in next to him. 

She had intended to keep some space between them, but Logan apparently had different ideas. He hauled her back against his chest and spooned himself around her. 

Apparently, he was having a very happy dream because she suddenly felt him, hard, pressed against her. He rubbed his legs against hers and his hands began to wander from her waist to cup her breasts. 

Veronica was suddenly living out one of her many fantasies from earlier, which, while fabulous, had not been her goal when she snuck in. She really just wanted to be near him. She knew she was playing with fire, as turned on as she was in Logan's bed, but she couldn't deny the attraction she felt anymore. 

She was pretty sure he was still asleep, but she rolled over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, his chin, along his jawline, to his ear… He still didn't wake. He must have put himself through a really hard workout. 

Suddenly, this felt wrong, not to mention pathetic. What kind of person kisses a sleeping man? She hated to think that she had taken advantage of Logan and done something to him without his consent. 

“Logan, Logan.” She shook his shoulder. “Wake up.”

“V’ronica?”

God, he was so cute when he was all sleepy and confused. But she needed to focus! 

“What's wrong?” He was asking her. 

“I, I kissed you and I'm sorry,” she blurted out. 

“What?”

“I couldn't sleep so I came in here and you looked...and I didn't think...and I kissed you. While you were sleeping. I'm so sorry!” She was blubbering and trying not to cry. 

A slow smile spread across his face. “Next time you decide to take advantage of me, can you do it while I'm awake so I can enjoy it?”

Veronica was silent while she turned his words over in her mind. 

“Wait, what?” Now it was her turn to be confused. 

“Or you could kiss me right now and apologize again. That would be fine with me.”

“But you weren't awake and it...it felt wrong!” She was barely holding it together. Of course he didn't understand. 

“Veronica,” he said, very patiently for someone who had been woken up from a deep sleep minutes ago, “you can sneak into my room and make out with me anytime you want. Every night, in fact. Let's start now.”

He was laughing! She was genuinely distressed and he was laughing at her! She bristled. 

“Fine! I should have known,” she muttered as she pulled away. 

“Wait, wait, Veronica.” He sat up and grabbed her arm, keeping her from leaving the bed. 

“You really didn't take advantage of me; I shouldn't have said that.” He hung his head. “I know how important consent is to you, but it's not taking advantage when I basically want you to kiss me all the time. Even when I'm sleeping.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Really? I didn't--”

And then she stopped talking because Logan pulled her against him and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were soft and warm and she wanted to go on kissing him forever. His hands were tangled in her hair and she could feel his strong fingers against her scalp. Her nerve endings were on fire and a bolt of desire shot through her as his tongue tangled with hers. 

After coming up for air, his mouth moved to that spot on her neck that drove her crazy. Her hands were everywhere, running over his chest and abs. (Yes, his abs felt just as good as she imagined.) She moaned when he sucked lightly on her neck and felt him chuckle against her collarbone. 

He pulled away to look at her. “Really? You really didn't know?”

She shook her head. 

“I flew across the country because I was worried about you.” She could hear the smile in his voice. 

She cleared her throat and put some space between them, sitting up on his bed, cross-legged. “At first I thought you had moved on. I mean, there was Parker and all. And then it was more that I thought I didn't deserve you. Or that I would ruin you like I ruined everything else last year. I mean, we've tried and failed so many times I can't keep track. What would make this time any different?” She shook her head ruefully. “But you have this great life here...that you've built...I know you don't need me. It's been nice being a part of things with you again.”

“Parker didn't mean anything.” He sat up, too, and traced his hand along the curve of her cheek and cleared his throat. “Actually, that's not true, but she and I should have just stayed friends. Because I never got over you. You and I are different people now.” He gazed steadily into her eyes. “We definitely have some things to work on...bad patterns to unlearn...but I'm willing to try if you are.”

“I am,” she said softly. “I'm sorry I ran away. I'll work on that. Thanks for tracking me down.” She leaned in and kissed him again, lightly, because she could. 

“And thanks for taking care of me, too.” She sighed, realizing that allowing herself to be dependent upon the people she loved was another thing she needed to work on. 

“Thanks for letting me. I know that's not easy for you.”

She blew out another breath. “No, it's not, but I'm working on trusting you.”

“I'll try to do a better job of deserving it,” he conceded. 

She ran her hands over Logan's body again and was reminded that she was in bed with her hot...boyfriend? Guy she was dating? Whatever. She shifted so that she was straddling his lap and kissed him in earnest, threading her fingers through his hair and rocking against him. 

His lips were gentle on hers as he opened his mouth for her. She boldly slipped her tongue into his mouth and began exploring. She loved it when he let her take control of things. It's not like she had been with a lot of guys, but he was the only one she felt comfortable being aggressive with. 

Nope, her memories weren't playing tricks on her. Kissing Logan was definitely the best thing in the world. Well, second best, but often the kissing led to The Number One Thing so she figured they could share a spot on the list. 

Logan was enthusiastically kissing her in return. And he was so good at it. His hands had been running up and down her sides, with his thumbs inching closer to her nipples with each pass. Now he slid them around her waist to rest on her hips. He toyed with the hem of her shirt and the touch of his fingers on her bare skin sent a delicious shiver through her. Finally, he pulled away. 

“Veronica,” he panted, and she was glad that he was as affected as she was, “I know we're in bed, but I don't think this counts as ‘resting.’”

“No,” she winced as she climbed off of him and laid back down on the bed. “I suppose not.”

Logan laid next to her and propped his head up on his elbow to look at her. He couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face. 

“Well, that's okay.” He placed a quick kiss on her nose. 

Her eyes widened in surprise. “You don't mind pressing the pause button on…” She gestured at the bed. 

“Veronica, I've been waiting for you for months.” He gave a deep chuckle. “We’ll have plenty of time when you're healed.” He shrugged. “I'm not going anywhere. Besides, there are other things we can do in bed instead.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and placed soft kisses on her neck. 

She wrapped her arms around him. “Mmm. Like what?” 

Logan deftly rolled her so she was settled on top of him and smoothed her hair. “Like sleep.” He kissed her forehead and put his head down, closing his eyes. 

“Tease,” she muttered, although she secretly liked the idea. It was often overshadowed by his other, not inconsiderable, skills in the bedroom, but Logan was excellent at cuddling. 

He ignored her and continued with his list in a mocking philosophical tone. “I s’pose we could read books. Or watch TV. We've actually come up with a lot of things to do in bed, but sleep now.” He started running his hands up and down her back soothingly. Mmm, that always put her to sleep. 

“Logan Echolls, using a bed merely for sleep. Man, you have changed.” She was sleepy, but never too tired to banter with Logan. 

“It's way easier to be a nerd than a bad boy. I wish I had known this years ago,” he murmured. 

She gasped. “Oh my gosh, you are a total nerd! How embarrassing. Think you will miss all your bad boy action?”

“Nah. Overrated. I've found what I want and I'm not letting go again.” His arms tightened around her to prove his point. “But I know how you feel about the bad boys so I’ll have to be a closet case.”

“I don't think that means what you think it means.” She giggled. 

“A closet nerd,” he amended. “But isn't that the good girl dream?” He continued with his sleepy pondering. “Reforming the bad boy?” 

“I didn't reform you. You reformed yourself. And I'm not a good girl.”

“And it's sexy as hell.” He paused and leaned down to kiss her nose. “So maybe I do get the appeal. How would you feel about a leather catsuit?” He teased. 

She pinched him. 

“Ow!”

Veronica raised her head and rested her chin on his chest, staring at him. 

“It turns out I like this dorky responsible version of you even more than Bad Boy Logan. And I liked him a lot, so that's saying something.” She took a deep breath. “I'm not going anywhere either. I--I want to stay this time.” 

Logan's eyes were soft with emotion. She kissed him softly and laid her head back down on his chest, letting the rhythm of his heartbeat lull her to sleep. 

 

THE END

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [(Covers) See Appendix for Further Information & A Reflection of Choice by CubbieGirl1723](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17439368) by [AlinaSorokina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlinaSorokina/pseuds/AlinaSorokina)




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